For God Alone: Not to us, O Lord (To God Be the Glory)

Most protestant evangelicals love the Fanny Crosby hymn, To God Be the Glory, and for good reason! We have sung it with our brothers and sisters gathered in houses of worship as long as we can remember. Sing along as you read the words:

To God be the glory, great things He hath done;

So loved He the world that He gave us His Son,

Who yielded His life an atonement for sin,

And opened the life-gate that all may go in.

Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, let the earth hear His voice!

Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, let the people rejoice!

O come to the Father through Jesus, the Son,

And give Him the glory, great things He hath done.

O perfect redemption, the purchase of blood,

To every believer the promise of God;

The vilest offender who truly believes

That moment from Jesus a pardon receives.

Great things He hath taught us, great things He hath done,

And great our rejoicing through Jesus the Son; 

But purer, and higher, and greater will be

Our wonder, our victory, when Jesus we see.*

Fanny J. Crosby (1820-1915)

This hymn speaks to an important truth - that all things are to be offered to the glory of God alone, because of the great things He has done. God has created all things, and God will redeem all things for and to His everlasting glory.

Psalm 115:1 is a challenge verse for this pilgrim, a daily challenge, in fact. I often sign my correspondence with this verse - not as a reminder to my readers, but as a personal reminder that all things are for God’s glory. All things.

Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to Your name give glory, 

for the sake of Your steadfast love and Your faithfulness. (Psalm 115:1)

This verse remains a favorite of a pastor alongside whom I was privileged to minster almost nine years in Houston. In fact, when that church built a beautiful fountain garden on their campus a few years ago, this verse was inscribed on the wall that surrounds the fountain and garden. Duane Brooks often quotes this verse before his congregation as a reminder that … to God alone belongs all the glory, for the sake of His steadfast love and his faithfulness.

D. James Kennedy was founding pastor of the Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, a congregation he faithfully led until his death in 2007. During his decades-long pastorate at Coral Ridge, that church grew to become one of the largest and most influential churches in America. When I was a young man and just beginning the ministry to which God had called Mary and me, Dr. Kennedy’s ministry at Coral Ridge was one that my bride and I regularly followed. One aspect of this ministry that challenges me to this day is Dr. Kennedy’s motto: 

Excellence in all things, and all things to God’s glory!

(You may wish to read Dr. Albert Moeller’s moving tribute to Dr. Kennedy upon his death in September of 2007. https://albertmohler.com/2007/09/05/excellence-in-all-things-and-all-things-to-gods-glory-the-legacy-of-dr-d-james-kennedy/. Note the final sentence in the penultimate paragraph.)

As a musician, I have sought always to offer to God only my very best, which was one of the reasons I felt led of God to pursue a terminal degree in music: to be my absolute best for God. Just this morning as I ate my usual bowl of oatmeal, I savored the taste contained in every bite, because, I believe that God intends for His children to constantly sing forth His praise, even while eating breakfast.

When in Our Music God Is Glorified is a hymn given to us by British pastor and prolific hymn writer, Fred Pratt Green (1903-2000). This hymn, as much as any hymn or worship song I know, speaks perfectly to a personal life-long theme for this pilgrim. Even if the hymn is new to you, please read and meditate on the words of this thoughtful poem.

When, in our music, God is glorified,

And adoration leaves no room for pride,

It is as though the whole creation cried Alleluia!

How often, making music, we have found

A new dimension in the world of sound,

As worship moved us to a more profound Alleluia!

So has the church, in liturgy and song,

In faith and love, through centuries of wrong,

Borne witness to the truth in every tongue, Alleluia!

And did not Jesus sing a psalm that night

When utmost evil strove against the light?

Then let us sing, for whom He won the fight: Alleluia!

Let every instrument be tuned for praise!

Let all rejoice who have a voice to raise!

And may God give us faith to sing always Alleluia! Alleluia!

Fred Pratt Green, 1972 (© Hope Publishing Company)**

On this New Day, I pray you will consider everything God has made - things you see, hear, touch, feel, and know - and offer to Him your praise and your thanksgiving. Then, live today forward with a heart filled with gratitude for all that God is, and all that God has done, and will continue to do - to His everlasting glory.

Let everything that has breath praise the Lord! Praise the Lord! (Psalm 150:8)

*To God Be the Glory, arr. Mark Hayes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eC-aHHNriwY (The Hour of Power)

**When, in Our Music, God Is Glorified, Charles Villers Stanford, arr. Mack Wilberg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYYOZ7KQP7w (Salt Lake Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra)